Waverley College

Waverley College
Virtus Sola Nobilitat (Latin for "Virtue alone ennobles")
Location
Waverley, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates	33°53′50″S 151°15′21″E
Information
Type	Private, Single-sex, Secondary, Day school
Denomination	Roman Catholic, Christian Brothers
Established	1903
Chairman	Mr Paul Gillian
Headmaster	Mr Ray Paxton
Chaplain	Fr Martin Milani
Staff	~115
Enrolment	~1,350 (5-12)
Colour(s)	Royal Blue and Gold
Website	waverley.nsw.edu.au

Waverley College is a Roman Catholic, secondary, day school for boys, located at Waverley, in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Founded in 1903 by the Christian Brothers, Waverley has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 1,350 students from Years 5 to 12.

The College is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), the Catholic Secondary Schools Association NSW/ACT (CSSA), and is a member of the Combined Associated Schools (CAS).

History

Waverley College opened in 1903, with 20 boys enrolled

Between 1938 and 1979 the school housed boarders in an adjacent property, The Grange, and in the west wing of the Senior Quad from 1963. The school's boarders came from rural Victoria, Queensland, New Guinea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Norfolk Island, Nauru, New Caledonia, Saigon and Singapore as well as the country areas of New South Wales.

The college joined the Combined Associated Schools (CAS) of New South Wales in 1944. In its first year of membership it won the football, cricket, and athletics competitions. The school's co-curricular program now also includes soccer, swimming, basketball, volleyball, water polo, tennis, cycling, lawn-bowls, cross country, chess and debating.

Two of the College's major buildings, the College Hall and the Chapel, were built in the 1950s. The former, which includes stained-glass window displays, has a vestibular Lady Chapel, focusing on the school's Marian tradition. One of the school's religious chapters is The Sodality of Our Lady, and the school hosts an annual May Procession in honour of Our Lady, the longest-running Marian procession in Australian history, on the first Sunday in May; Old Boys are encouraged to attend.

Waverley students in the Saint Patrick's Day parade, 1930s

Two quadrangular buildings - the Senior School and Middle School "quads" - were added in 1963 and 1970 respectively. The boarders were then accommodated in the west wing of the Senior quad until 1979.

The school also opened an Olympic-sized swimming pool in 1970. In the 1980s, several areas of the school's site were redeveloped including The Grange building, the refurbishment of the Ludlow Hall as a music centre and a modern gymnasium, the Brother J P Lacey Gymnasium.

In 2003, the college opened its Performing Arts Centre. The centre includes a 300-seat proscenium arch theatre with state-of-the-art lighting options; an 80-seat drama studio and a six-seat recital room. In 2005, the college refurbished the Ludlow Hall area and cleared the area for a playground. In 2006, the pool was repainted and now has the school's emblem painted on the base. In 2007, the school started its million-dollar plan to develop classrooms into 21st-century facilities.

School centenary

The highlight of the celebratory year was a school Mass for students past and present as well as their families at the Hordern Pavilion. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop David Cremin.

Waverley College, The Grange

Another highlight was the opening of a $6.5 million Performing Arts Centre, housing facilities for the teaching and performance of music and drama. It was opened on June 15, 2003, by New South Wales Governor, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir.

A history of the College, The Crest of the Wave, written by Justin Fleming was published by Allen & Unwin.

Waverley also has an army cadet unit, abbreviated WCCU. The unit was raised in 1911 and celebrated its one hundredth year in 2011.

House system

Students at the college compete in a number of internal sporting competitions as members of rival "houses", identified by a team colour.

Waverley College gates, Carrington Road

The four original school "houses" of Waverley College, and their colours, are:

• Aungier, pronounced Ayne-jer (Red)
• Brennan (Royal Blue)
• Conlon (Emerald Green)
• Tevlin (Gold)

The school's four "houses" were later expanded to eight. The four newer houses are:

• Lacey (Maroon)
• O'Connor (Black)
• Quinn (Sky Blue)
• Green (Bottle Green)

All eight team houses are named after former headmasters of the College, or individuals who figure prominently in the College's history, such as Brother M.A. Aungier, who founded the Sodality of Our Lady, and Brothers P.A. Conlon and P.A. Brennan, who were former headmasters.

Notable alumni

Alumni of Waverley College are known as Old Boys or Waverlians, and may elect to join the school's alumni association, the Waverley College Old Boys' Union.

• Scott Cam, TV personality with the Nine Network
• Joe Catanzariti, former president of the Law Society of NSW
• Peter Collins QC, former leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party, deputy premier and treasurer
• General Peter Cosgrove, former Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Australian of the Year 2001
• Michael Cleary, Minister for Sport, Wran Government, 1981–1988
• Sam de Brito, journalist and blogger for The Sydney Morning Herald
• Bruce Dellit, architect, pioneer of the Art Deco style; Most notable works include: the ANZAC War Memorial and the Bank of New South Wales
• The Most Right Reverend Patrick Dougherty (1931 – 2010), Bishop Emeritus and Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst, from 1983 until his death in 2010
• Adam Freier, Current Waratahs player and captain, and Wallabies representative
• Michael Idato, journalist and critic for The Sydney Morning Herald
• Kenneth Kennedy, speed skater and ice hockey player, Australia's first Winter Olympian
• Thomas James Bede Kenny VC, Soldier, salesman, winner of the Victoria Cross
• John McCarthy, Australian ambassador to Vietnam, Thailand, the United States, Indonesia, Japan and (presently) India
• Patrick McClure AO, Third Sector leader, CEO of Mission Australia (1997-2006), CEO of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (1992-1996), CEO of Aged and Community Services Australia (2011), Chairperson of the Reference Group on Welfare Reform (1999 - 2000)
• Justin Melvey, television actor (Home and Away, Days of our Lives)
• John Murphy, Federal Member for Lowe, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade
• Ezra Norton, newspaper proprietor (also attended The Scots College)
• Johnny O'Keefe, Australian rock singer of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s
• William John Tilley - Member of the Legislative Assembly for Benambra, Victoria (also attended St Gregory's College, Campbelltown & Redden College)

See also

• List of Non-Government schools in New South Wales
• Lawrence Campbell Oratory Competition
• List of Victoria Crosses by School
• CAS

References

• The Crest of the Wave, Waverley College 1903 - 2003, by Justin Fleming, Published by Allen & Unwin 2003.
• Mayor's statement on 2002 rampage incident

External links

• Waverley College website